Early Performance Flight-testing has Carter Prototype Besting Helicopter Efficiencies by a Factor of 2.5

Carter Aviation Technologies, LLC, working in conjunction with Carter Aerospace Development, LLC, has made significant progress as performance flight-testing of the current prototype, the Proof of Concept demonstrator (the “POC”), continues. The POC is a variant of the company’s four passenger vertical takeoff and landing (“VTOL”) aircraft, known as the SR/C™ 4-Place PAV.

The POC is continuing to expand the high speed / slowed rotor envelope. Over the last month, conservative performance flight-testing has yielded the following results:

Lift-to-drag (“L/D”) values of 10-12 at high speed cruise at a test weight of 3,950 lbs – around two to two-and-a-half times better than the most efficient helicopters
-- L/D is a measure of the efficiency of an aircraft. Higher L/D ratios are one of the primary goals in aircraft design, inasmuch as an aircraft’s required lift is determined by its weight, delivering that lift with decreased drag leads directly to enhanced speed, fuel economy, climb performance, and glide ratio.

Thus far, an advance ratio of 0.85
-- The advance ratio is calculated by dividing the forward airspeed of the aircraft by the tip speed of the rotor. As the rotor rpm (i.e., the tip speed) is reduced, the advance ratio increases. As the advance ratio increases, drag on the rotor decreases dramatically (resulting in increased efficiency).

Additionally, jump takeoffs are now routine and used in virtually every test flight.
The company will continue to expand the high speed/slowed rotor envelope in the coming weeks, and will gather more data on flight efficiencies under those conditions.